Seeing Progress

Evidence-based Strategies - Examples, Research and Tools

Strategy b: Provide students constructive feedback on their learning and progress, and opportunities to reflect on and self-assess their progress, including holding regularly‐scheduled conferences with students.

Examples

Are We There Yet?
Kathleen Simmons
To help students see their progress and feel that their participation is “worth it,” this instructor gives short, frequent tests, repeats activities to show students how their abilities have changed, and assigns homework that involves sharing their learning with their families.

The ESL Classroom as Community: How Self-Assessment Can Work
Dulaney Alexander
After noticing a drop in retention between ESOL levels 2 and 3, this program developed self-assessment tools that would help student recognize evidence of their own learning and provide feedback to teachers.

The Learner’s Log: Evolution of an Assessment Tool
Caroline Gear
The learner’s log is a series of self-assessment tools that are filled out weekly to help ESOL students look at their learning and their progress over time. Several tools are described here.

Tools

Progress Checklists
Read/Write/Now
These reading and writing progress checklists are a sampling of the array of tools teachers and students use to chronicle and reflect on learning.

Reading Progress Checklist
Eileen Barry
This is a reading self-assessment tool that draws students’ attention to reading strategies.

Student/Teacher Evaluation and Planning Session (STEPS)
Lennox McClendon
This resource outlines a series of conversations educators can have with students to help them clarify their reasons for learning, make and monitor a learning plan, and evaluate their satisfaction.